Secret of the Church
by chilled monkey
Summary: Crossover with John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness." Hibino finds something sinister under the church.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Hareluya II Boy" or John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness." Both are property of their respective owners. This story is written purely for fun, no profit is being made from it.

 **Author's Note:** While this story takes a lot of cues from John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness," I have made a few changes and amendments as I didn't want to just copy the plot with a different cast. So there will be things here that didn't happen in the movie. I hope people still enjoy it despite that.

This story contains references to my previous fanfics "Menace of the Slime" and "Statue of Evil." However it is not necessary to read them to understand this story.

* * *

"Hareluya" the priest Harebane called as he knocked on his son's door. "Hareluya, I need to talk to you."

There was no reply. Pressing his ear to the door he heard faint beeping sounds plus cries of excitement. The elderly priest sighed disappointedly and then knocked again, louder this time.

"Hareluya! This is important!"

He heard his son mutter something crossly and then finally the door opened. Hibino Hareluya stood in the doorway and glowered at his father. He was a tall, strong-looking teenager with black spiky hair and brown eyes.

"What do you want old man?" he asked brusquely. "This had better be good, I just got a new high score."

Ignoring his son's rudeness Harebane replied, "I've just had a telephone call from an old friend of mine, Father Carlton. He seemed very upset about something and said that he needed to see me about a matter of utmost urgency. I'll be going away tomorrow for a few days to help him out."

"Fine, Ore-sama could use a few days not having to listen to those boring sermons." He started to close the door but Harebane jammed his foot in the doorway.

"While I'm away I want you to clear out the basement. I've been telling you that for over a week now."

"Yeah sure" said Hibino dismissively.

Harebane sighed. "Clear out the basement and I'll give you two vouchers for the okonomiyaki restaurant."

Hibino's eyes lit up. "Deal!"

 _What am I going to do with that boy?_ the priest thought as Hibino closed the door again. _Oh well at least this will keep him out of trouble until I get back._

* * *

Later that night Hibino and his father were both sound asleep. The lights had been turned out and throughout the church all was still and dark save for the gentle glow of moonlight shining through the stained glass windows.

Beneath the ground, in the darkness of the basement the father and son had briefly talked about, there was further stillness as piles of junk and clutter lay unmoving. Had anyone been present and had there been light to see by, they would have witnessed a most peculiar phenomenon.

Tiny black ants began to crawl out from various crannies and nooks, only a few at first but then more. The few became dozens, then hundreds, then thousands until their numbers were countless. The seething black mass crawled up a wall and began slowly but surely to erode the cement that held the bricks of the wall together. At the same time a smaller mass of ants scuttled over to the church's telephone lines and began chewing through the insulation.

Throughout the night they worked. As the sun rose into the sky aboveground the ants dispersed, returning back to their colony until there was no sign they had ever been there except for the sprinkling of grey dust on the floor.

* * *

The next day Hibino met up with Makoto Ichijou and Yamana Michiru at school and told them about his father's leaving for a few days.

Ichijou was the same height and build as Hibino and was wearing the same blue uniform. His shoulder-length hair was red and his eyes were blue.

Yamana was a beautiful girl with gold-brown hair that came to her shoulder blades, a lean slender figure and light brown eyes full of warmth. Her uniform consisted of a maroon top, grey skirt, white socks and black shoes.

"I hope your father will be all right" she said sympathetically.

"My old man will be fine" he replied casually. "Anyway Ore-sama has agreed to clear out the basement while he's away."

"Let me guess. You're here to try and pass the job onto us?" Ichijou asked dubiously.

"Of course. What else could be more worthy of your time?"

"Let's see, rehearsing with my band, writing new songs, working on my bike…"

"Oh come on Ichijou. Hibino needs our help" said Yamana. "We can't just ignore that."

"Exactly" Hibino said with a grin.

Ichijou sighed. "Okay but let's get one thing clear Hibino, you are not going to just stand around and leave all the actual work to us."

"Are you calling Ore-sama lazy?" Hibino asked with a glower.

Before he could reply Yamana quickly spoke up. "Now now, the sooner we start clearing out the basement the sooner we finish" she pointed out.

"True" said Hibino. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

When they arrived at the church Hibino opened a door and turned on a light. "Here we are" he said as they followed him down a wooden staircase into the basement. The walls were plain brick and the floor was concrete. Old pieces of furniture, piles of boxes and random junk were strewn around haphazardly.

"Most of it's just junk but make sure to look closely in case there's anything worth something down here" Hibino instructed.

"Yes, maybe we can donate some of it to charity" Yamana agreed.

"Charity? Ore-sama will sell anything worth money" Hibino scoffed.

"Somehow I doubt we'll find anything worth selling down here" Ichijou replied. "Anyway let's start getting this stuff out of here. We can sort it out properly when we have more room."

They began carrying the junk up the staircase and into the church, with Hibino and Ichijou carrying the bigger pieces while Yamana brought the smaller ones. It didn't take long for them to begin making progress.

As Hibino brought up another box he noticed Ichijou looking out of a window with a troubled look on his face.

"Oi! What do you think you're playing at, slacking off while we're working?" he exclaimed, putting down the box and stomping over to him.

"Look at this" he replied, pointing through the window. Hibino looked and saw a crowd of scruffy, unkempt guys standing motionlessly in an alleyway and staring right at the church with blank, expressionless faces. One of them in particular stood out, a tall pale man with long black hair wearing a filthy brown coat and a black woolly hat.

"Those guys have been standing there for over an hour now. They don't move or say anything, they just stand there."

"They're probably hoping to catch a glimpse of Ore-sama" said Hibino with a grin.

Ichijou glared at him. "I'm serious, something is wrong with those people!"

"So what, they're not causing any bother" he replied dismissively. "Now back to work!"

With a final glance out of the window Ichijou followed him back into the basement.

* * *

Harebane sighed thankfully as the train stopped at Kyoto Station. Throughout the journey he had been pondering over what was troubling his old friend.

He thought back to the phone call he had received last night. Despite his agitation Father Carlton had not told him any details, saying that he would rather not discuss the matter over the phone. Harebane hoped that he would be able to help him.

Kyoto was just as beautiful as he remembered it from his last visit many years ago. Regrettably there was no time for sightseeing. He wasted no time in calling a taxi for Father Carlton's church.

As they approached the church he was overcome by a sense of dark foreboding. A moment later that feeling was confirmed as he saw police cars parked nearby. Some nuns were talking with police officers.

He hastily paid the driver, telling him to keep the change and then hurried over to one of the nuns.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"Father Carlton passed away from a heart attack this morning" she replied. "The police are investigating but all signs point to natural causes."

Harebane closed his eyes and murmured a prayer for his old friend. _I'm so sorry_ he thought. _I should have come right away. Maybe I could not have saved your life but at least I could have helped you pass on with no unfinished matters. May God forgive me._

"Are you Hibino Harebane?" the nun asked.

"Yes. Father Carlton was an old friend of mine" he replied.

"He told us you were coming. He asked me to give you this." She took out a small book with a plain brown cover.

"Thank you" he said as he accepted it. "Sister, when Father Carlton called me he said there was an urgent matter he needed to discuss. Do you have any idea what it could be?"

She shook her head. "He seemed very anxious about something but he refused to say what. I do not wish to speak ill of the dead but he was very old and perhaps it was affecting his mind."

Harebane doubted that but decided not to push the matter.

"As I said Father Carlton told us you were coming" she went on. "A room has been prepared for you if you wish to stay for awhile."

"Thank you Sister."

* * *

A little while later Harebane had settled into the guest room. It was sparsely decorated, with a wooden floor and white walls but was impeccably neat and tidy.

 _A pity my son can't keep his room the same way_ he thought as he sat down at a desk and studied the book he had been given. It appeared to be a diary of some kind. _Perhaps this will give me a clue as to why Father Carlton called me._

He opened the book and froze as one passage in particular caught his eye.

 **The sleeper awakens. I have witnessed his stirrings,**

 _What can this mean?_

He began to read the contents of the book, becoming increasingly horrified and dismayed as he did so. It was indeed a diary of sorts but the events it detailed were hardly those of everyday life.

 _No wonder he said it was of utmost urgency. To think that there was such a thing beneath my own church all this time…_

He stopped reading as a terrifying thought struck him. "Hareluya!" he exclaimed.

Leaping up from his chair he rushed over to the telephone and called his home number. To his alarm the call couldn't get through. Something was wrong with the line.

 _I must return immediately._

* * *

Hibino, Yamana and Ichijou were still clearing out the basement when the still, musty air was suddenly split by a terrified scream and the crash of a box hitting the floor.

"AAHHH! AAHHHH!"

"Ichijou! What's wrong?" Yamana asked as she hurried over.

"Worms! A big bunch of them" he replied as he began stomping on the writhing pile. "I just moved a box and there they were."

Hibino started laughing uproariously. "HAHAHAHA! Big tough rock and roll guy Ichijou scared by worms! HAHAHAHA!"

"It's not funny" Ichijou complained while Yamana put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

Still laughing his head off, Hibino put a hand on a wall to support himself. His laughter became a surprised yell as the wall collapsed and he toppled through the newly-made hole in the brickwork.

"Hibino!" Yamana exclaimed. She and Ichijou ran over as he picked himself up.

"I'm fine" he said while brushing dust out of his hair. "When my old man gets back I…"

His words trailed off and his jaw dropped as he spotted something.

"What's wrong?" Ichijou asked.

"Take a look at this" he replied, his tone uncharacteristically subdued.

They stepped through the hole in the wall and turned to see what Hibino was looking at. Their eyes widened in amazement.

On the other side of the wall was a small chamber. In the middle of it was a clear cylindrical container with the base and top made of corroded metal. The container was filled with a green ooze that swirled around as if it was alive.

"What is that thing?" Ichijou asked. "That stuff looks like the slime those toxic waste dumpers sprayed us with."

"No idea. Dad never mentioned anything like this" Hibino replied.

"How is it moving around like that?" Yamana wondered.

As the initial shock faded she and Ichijou both shuddered as they felt a sudden chill. They glanced at each other and nodded.

Hibino however just grinned. He had only one thought on his mind. "Call the TV news! They'll pay Ore-sama well for a scoop like this!"

"No way" said Ichijou.

"What?"

He gestured at the container. "Can't you feel it? This thing… it, it just feels wrong somehow."

"Nonsense! You're imagining things Ichijou."

"He's right Hibino" said Yamana. "We need to be careful. This stuff could be dangerous. At least let's keep it a secret for now. After all nobody else knows about it and there's no way they could find out."

Hibino frowned but nodded. "All right. Ore-sama will keep quiet about this thing for now."

Ichijou breathed a sigh of relief. "It'll be getting dark soon. Why don't we call it a day?"

"Agreed" said Hibino. "Ore-sama will see you both tomorrow then."

* * *

"They're still here" Ichijou muttered to Yamana as they left the church. He kept his eyes on the street people standing in the alleyway, especially the pale man. They did not look back, their eyes staying fixed on the building.

"Do you think Hibino will be all right?" she asked concernedly.

"He'll be fine. One look at him and they'd all run away."

She giggled, appreciating the joke, but she could tell he was troubled by the strange situation as well.

They made it to his motorcycle and climbed on. As they drove away she said, "this whole thing is so weird."

"I know" he agreed. "I just hope tomorrow we can start to figure it all out."

"Me too."

* * *

Harebane was normally a patient man by nature. He had to be, with Hibino as a son. Right now however he was fighting the urge to curse.

After failing to contact Hibino he had made his excuses and caught the next train to Tokyo. En route the train had suffered multiple delays and failures with its wiring caused by insects chewing through the insulation.

 _Just as the book said. It's taking control of simple creatures like insects_ he thought worriedly. _That means it's gaining power._

The train was currently halted miles away from Tokyo. It was getting dark outside and the repairmen were still struggling to fix everything. It looked like they would be stuck in the train overnight. All around him people were complaining and the conductor was apologising to them.

Ignoring the surrounding hubbub Harebane closed his eyes, placed his hands together and prayed to God, asking him to watch over his son and his friends.

* * *

When Hibino went to bed that night he did not expect to dream of anything besides the money that would soon be his. After all he had promised Yamana he'd keep quiet about the mysterious container for now, not forever.

Instead he found himself standing in front of the church where he lived. It looked normal but his vision seemed hazy and oddly distant as if he was seeing things on a screen rather than in person.

A voice spoke although he couldn't see anyone else. It sounded distorted like a radio transmission with interference.

"This is not a dream... not a dream. We are using your brain's electrical system as a receiver. We are unable to transmit through conscious neural interference. You are receiving this broadcast as a dream. We are transmitting from the year one, nine, nine, nine. You are receiving this broadcast in order to alter the events you are seeing. Our technology has not developed a transmitter strong enough to reach your conscious state of awareness, but this is not a dream. You are seeing what is actually occurring for the purpose of causality violation…"

As the voice spoke the main doors swung open and a shadowy figure emerged. It was humanoid but completely black and featureless, like a human outline cut from ebony cloth. It turned to look at him and…

Hibino awoke with a start and looked around his room. Realising where he was he settled back down. The images he'd seen had felt strange, as if they had come from somewhere other than his own mind, like they had been pre-recorded.

"What was that?"

He did not sleep again that night. When Yamana and Ichijou arrived at the church the next day he was bleary-eyed and listless.

"Are you okay Hibino?" she asked gently.

"I'm fine" he replied brusquely. "I just had a weird dream last night, that's all."

"Would you like to talk about it?" she asked.

He hesitated a moment and then began describing the dream. As he listened Ichijou kept casting glances out of a window. Sure enough the street people were still standing there.

"This whole thing is getting weirder and weirder" he said when Hibino had finished. "I say we call Mitoguchi ji-san to take a look at that thing in the basement. He might know something about it."

Yamana nodded.

Hibino frowned. As much as he hated to admit it Ichijou was right. He didn't want to tell someone else about the cylinder in case they called the TV news before him, but the old curator had been helpful in identifying strange objects before…

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud bang.

"What was that?" he exclaimed.

They hurried to the main hall. There they found that the main doors had been pushed open and the street people were inside vandalising the church. The pews were flipped over and smashed, the lectern and pulpit had both been overturned, and the candles swept off of the altar.

Hibino and Ichijou didn't hesitate. They charged right in. Hibino ran up to the pale man and punched him in the jaw. To his disbelief the man didn't so much as blink. He didn't seem to even feel the punch.

"What the f…?"

He was cut off as the pale man's emotionless face contorted into a scowl and he landed a front kick that knocked Hibino onto his back. The pale man then turned and walked off, his face going blank once again. With a growl of fury Hibino sprang to his feet and went after him.

Ichijou was faring no better. All of his blows found their targets but none of the street people seemed to feel them. They turned their attention to him, pulling out various weapons and attacking him. He dodged a jab from a knife, ducked under a pipe swung at his head and renewed his own offensive. Still his blows had no effect and he was forced to back away as the street people closed in on him.

Yamana was about to rush in to help him when she noticed the church's baptismal font and how it had been ignored despite the vandalism. She glanced over at the people Ichijou was fighting and then back at the font.

An idea came to her. She took a small, almost empty water bottle out of her bag and refilled it with water from the font. When it was full she ran over and threw some of the bottle's contents into the face of one of Ichijou's opponents. He immediately collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The others stopped moving and stared at him.

She pointed at the font and yelled, "Ichijou, the water!"

He immediately understood. Seizing the wrists of two of the street people he dragged them over to the font before they could recover. He dunked first one and then the other's heads in while Yamana threw water in the faces of two more. All of them fell to the floor, unconscious.

Soon all of the street people were out cold. He turned to her.

"That was quick thinking."

"Thanks" she replied. "Ichijou, that thing in the basement must be causing this."

"I know. It felt wrong since we found it… Wait, Hibino went after the leader." His eyes bulged. "He must have gone to the basement!"

They both ran.

* * *

The pale man descended the staircase into the basement. While most of the clutter had been cleared out there were still a few bits of junk including a broken bicycle. He picked it up and looked through the hole in the wall at the container of swirling green liquid for a second before running right at it with the bicycle held in front of him.

CRASH!

The container exploded into fragments and the green liquid splashed out in a wave that knocked the pale man to the floor. He lay still as the ooze began to coalesce, rising up into a pillar. Hibino came down the stairs just in time to see the liquid solidify into a humanoid, grey-skinned creature with pointed ears, beady black eyes, a flat nose-less face and a large mouth full of big pointy teeth.

"What the ***** are you?" Hibino demanded.

The creature ignored him and instead stared at a full length mirror propped up against a wall.

"Father!" the creature hissed.

"OI! Ore-sama's talking to you!" Hibino exclaimed.

It continued to ignore him as it reached for the mirror. Annoyed, Hibino pulled out his baseball bat and attacked. He swung the bat and hit the creature right in the head. It turned and glared at him. As he raised his bat again it jerked its head forwards and he was telekinetically thrown into a wall. He slumped to the floor, dazed.

The creature turned back to the mirror and raised a hand. The glass began to glow with a brilliant white light. It reached out and its hand passed through the glass as if it were water, sending ripples across its surface. It was so engrossed in its task it didn't notice Ichijou and Yamana hurrying into the basement. They stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

"Father, come to freedom!"

Ichijou shook his head to clear it and then charged. He slammed into the creature's back, knocking it off its feet and propelling them both headlong through the mirror.

He closed his eyes against the light and then opened them in surprise as he felt himself suddenly immersed in what felt like cold water. All he could see on the other side of the mirror was stygian darkness. Waves hit his face as he felt the creature thrashing nearby.

Before he could fully comprehend what was going on a pair of arms closed around his waist and pulled. There was a sudden bright light that made him close his eyes and then, just like that, he was back in the basement.

The second he was clear of the mirror Hibino threw his bat with all his strength. The light disappeared as the glass broke with a loud CRASH! Silvery pieces of broken glass tinkled softly as they fell to the floor.

Still disoriented Ichijou felt the arms around his waist let go and he stumbled, nearly losing his balance before Yamana's firm, gentle hands steadied him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine" he replied a bit unsurely. As he regained his bearings he realised what had happened. When he had tackled the creature into the portal she had pulled him back out.

Overcome with emotion he hugged her tightly. She was a little surprised but returned the hug.

"Thank you" he whispered.

"Anytime" she replied.

Hibino had gotten to his feet. "All right Ichijou don't overdo it. She has a boyfriend remember."

He immediately let go and pulled away, muttering an embarrassed apology. She just smiled.

"It's okay" she said.

"Right, now can someone tell Ore-sama what just happened?" Hibino asked.

"Hareluya!"

They looked up to see Harebane hurrying down the stairs. On his bearded face was a mix of relief, joy and apprehension.

"Ore-sama is not responsible for the mess in the hall…" Hibino began but he was cut off as his father slammed into him and hugged him in relief. After a few moments he pulled back leaving Hibino more confused than ever. The priest looked around, noticing the broken container and mirror.

"There is something I must tell you all."

* * *

A little while later Harebane finished explaining to them what had happened Hibino, Yamana and Ichijou were all astonished by what they had just heard.

"That thing was hidden away under the church all that time?" Ichijou asked.

"Precisely. It seems that all records of the creature were lost long ago. Father Carlton was an archivist. He was able to learn of its existence and uncover where it was hidden." He sighed deeply. "Thank the Lord you three were able to send it back to the darkness."

Hibino grinned. "So Ore-sama saved the world!"

"Hey it was a group effort!" Ichijou complained.

"Yes, yes, you both helped" Hibino said dismissively. "Anyway, wait until the news hears this! Ore-sama will be famous!"

"Ah Hibino, now that the container's empty there's no way to prove what happened" Yamana pointed out gently. "They'd just think you were crazy."

His face fell. Just then they heard a low groan as the pale man came to. "Ugh… What happened?" he asked as he stood up.

Hibino bounded over to him. "You're a witness! You can tell the news how you were possessed by pure evil!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" he replied with a baffled look on his face.

Hibino covered his face and groaned. Harebane calmly walked over to the pale man. "Don't be afraid son. Everything is all right now" he said.

"Thank you Father."

The priest nodded and then turned to the three of them. "I must make sure this poor fellow and the others I saw in the hall are all right. Then the church will have to be cleared up."

"I'll help" Ichijou offered.

"And me" Yamana agreed.

Hibino scowled as they looked at him patiently. "ARGH, this is unbelievable! Ore-sama saves the world and his reward is manual labour!"

"I haven't forgotten my promise" said Harebane. "When the mess in the hall is cleared I'll give you four vouchers."

His grin returned. "Okay!"

Ichijou and Yamana both laughed softly while the pale man looked on in bewilderment.

* * *

That night Hibino had another odd dream. This time he was sure it was a dream as there was no strange voice and the images he saw didn't feel pre-recorded like before.

Once again he was standing in front of the church and again the main doors swung open. This time however the figure that emerged was Hibino himself, a triumphant grin on his face.

As he slept Hibino smiled.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The Prince of Darkness's manifested form is based on Legion from "Missionary Man: Bad Moon Rising."


End file.
